This invention relates to aquarium tanks, and more particularly to a clamping apparatus for connecting an aquarium accessory to the upper edge of an aquarium tank.
In using aquarium tanks, it is quite frequent to connect an aquarium accessory to the upper edge of the aquarium tank. By way of example, it is typical to connect a heater at the upper edge of the aquarium tank and have it depend downward into the aquarium tank water to provide controlled heat of the aquarium tank water. Other accessories that are frequently connected to the top of the aquarium tank include valves, such as a gang valve, platforms for holding air pumps, aquarium filters, thermometers, and other aquarium appliances. Occasionally, it may even be desirable to connect aesthetic accessories from the top of the aquarium tank and depend them into the aquarium water.
Connecting these aquarium accessories to the aquarium is made difficult by the fact that it is typical to have a rim placed on the upper edge of the aquarium tank. In most cases, aquarium tanks are substantially rectangular in shape. The walls being made of glass or plastic typically have upper edges that may be sharp. To protect the user from harming himself at the sharp upper edge of the aquarium tank, a rim is typically placed over that edge. The rim covers the edge with a substantially inverted U-shaped configuration that saddles the upper edge of the tank walls. However, the rim generally also includes an inwardly directed ledge or lip which projects inwardly towards the center of the aquarium tank.
Rims are provided by various manufacturers. While almost all of these are of the same general configuration, the dimensions with respect to the height or depth of the rim varies. Likewise, the dimensions of the ledge or lip vary from rim to rim. The rims not only differ based upon their manufacturing origin but also differ based upon the size of the rim and the size of the aquarium tank on which the rim is to fit.
Because of the wide variety of dimensions of the rim on the aquarium tank, it is difficult to design a particular aquarium accessory to universally fit on all aquarium tank rims. In most cases, the coupling arrangement for the aquarium accessory may simply be an inverted U-shaped hook that fits on the upper rim. However, because the width of the rim may vary, the mouth of the hook must be wide enough to accommodate the largest rim. This would then cause difficulties when the accessory is utilized with a narrower rim. The accessory then loosely held, it angles downwardly at an awkward and unaesthetic position, and is easily knocked off the rim. The fact that the accessory can fall into the water by falling off the upper rim may even provide a serious hazard where the accessory is an electrical appliance such as a heater, a pump, or a motor.
Other types of clamping arrangements use a screw type coupler. However, again because of the wide variation in rim dimensions, it winds up that on many rims there is inadequate height or thickness dimension for the screw to adequately grasp and provide secure connection to avoid tilting or bending of the aquarium accessory as it depends downward from the rim.
Accordingly, there is need for a coupling arrangement for interconnecting accessories to aquarium tanks which can be utilized with all types of aquarium rims and still provide secure, safe, and fixed attachment to the aquarium rim